Means and method of attaching legs to tables



Jan. 11, 1966 M. RICH, JR 3,228,359

MEANS AND METHOD OF ATTACHING LEGS TO TABLES Filed Oct. 5, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 FIG. 2 1s INVENTOR. MAURICE RICH, JR.

A T T 0 RN E Y Jan. 11, 1966 M. RICH, JR ,2

MEANS AND METHOD OF ATTACHING LEGS T0 TABLES Filed Oct. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MAURICE RICH JR.

Jan. 11, 1966 M. RICH, JR 3,228,359

MEANS AND METHOD OF ATTACHING LEGS T0 TABLES Filed Oct. 3, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. l2

INVENTOR. MAURICE RiCH, JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,228,359 MEANS AND METHOD OF ATTACHING LEGS T0 TABLES Maurice Rich, In, Memphis, Tenn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Chromcraft, Inc, Amsterdam, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 313,598 4 Claims. (Cl. 108-156) This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in furniture, and, more particularly, to a novel means and method of attaching legs to tables.

A substantial number of dinette and dining room tables are manufactured, at the present time, in so-called knocked down form, in order to achieve more durable packing and to effect economy in shipping costs. It is conventional practice to manufacture the table top as a complete unit and provide the legs in detached form. Obviously, it is, therefore, necessary to employ some type of joint-forming elements by which the table legs can be quickly and securely attached to the table top so that the table can be set up for display or ultimate use. A number of joint-forming mechanisms has been developed, but has been found to be either expensive, complicated, or structurally unsatisfactory. This problem has been further complicated by the current trends in modern design which require table tops of heavy slab construction in which the side aprons are either very narrow and unobstrusive or are entirely eliminated.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a table having novel joint-forming means by which the legs can be attached to the table top in a simple, quick, and convenient manner with a minimum of mechanical skill and without the use of special or complicated tools.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a table of the type stated in which the legs and table top are attached by simple, economical, and structurally strong joint-forming means.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide joint-forming hardware for use in knock down table construction, which joint-forming means includes connectible elements that can be respectively attached to the table top and leg in a simple, inexpensive, but, nevertheless, highly efiicient and structurally strong manner.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings-(three sheets) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dinette table constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, are bottom plan end elevational and side elevational views, respectively, of the female bracket plate forming a part of the present invention;

FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are bottom plan end elevational and side elevational views, respectively, of the male bracket plate forming a part of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner in which the male bracket plate can be employed with the table leg of oval cross-sectional shape;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective iew illustrating the manner in which the male bracket plate can be employed with a so-called square-to-round table leg; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating ice the manner in which the male bracket plate can be employed with a table leg of square cross-sectional shape.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention, A designates a dinette table generally consisting of a rectilinear table top 1 formed preferably of the currently popular slab-top construction. It will, of course, be understood that the table top 1 can be of any desired perimetral shape or design and can be made of solid wood, veneer, or veneer laminated with synthetic resin sheeting.

Provided for attachment to the under face of the table top 1 in proximity to the corners thereof are four female bracket plates 2. Since the bracket plates 2 are identical, only one of them need be described herein in detail. The female bracket plate 2 is preferably stamped by suitable punch press dies (not shown) from heavy gauge sheet steel and is of generally rectilinear shape having a plurality of punched holes 3 for accommodating conventional screws 4 by which the female bracket plate 2 is secured to the under face of the table top 1, as shown in FIG. 2. Midway of its opposite transverse margins, and along its longitudinal centerline, each bracket plate 2 is provided with an auxiliary punched hole 5. Finally, each bracket plate 2 is provided, adjacent to its longitudinal margins, with four struck-out ears 7, 8, 9, 10, which in tegrally include offset-legs 11, 12, 13, 14, and flanges 15, 16, 17, 18, respectively. As will be evident from FIG. 4, the offset-legs 11, 13, and 12, 14, respectively, are in lengthwise alignment and taper inwardly from the outer longitudinal margins of the bracket plate 2 for purposes presently more fully appearing and as best seen in FIG. 4.

Provided for attachment to each table leg 19 is a male bracket plate 20 which is also punched from heavy gauge sheet steel and is of generally rectilinear shape, being formed with side flanges 21, 22, integrally jointed to triangular legs 23, 24, which are, in turn, connected by a bight-plate 25 to form a wedge-shaped structure as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9. The upper or butt end of the table leg 19 is preferably welded to the outer face of the bightplate 25. It will be apparent that the outwardly presented longitudinal edges of the flanges 21, 22, taper inwardly at the same angle as the oifset-legs 11, 12, 13, 14, and are spaced transversely by approximately the same distances. Moreover, the flanges 21, 22, are substantially as thick as the distance between the inner faces of the flanges 15, 16, 17, 18, and the proximate surface of the female bracket plate 2. Thus, the flanges 21, 22, of the male bracket plate 20 can he slid inwardly into engagement with the flanges 15, 16, 17, 18, and can be tapped lightly with a hammer or other similar tool and thereby driven into securely seated position,

Each male bracket plate 20 is provided with a punched hole 26 which is located so as to be in registering alignment With the auxiliary punched hole 5 of the female bracket plate 2 in which it is seated. Accordingly, a locking screw 27 can be inserted through the punched holes 5, 26, and engaged in the underside of the table top 1 so that the leg 19 will be securely and permanently in place against accidental or unauthorized disengagement.

It is also possible to utilize the male bracket plate 20 with a type of leg such as the leg 28 having an oval cross-section as shown in FIG. 10. It is also possible to utilize the male bracket plate 20 with a type of squareto-round leg 29 as shown in FIG. 11. Similarly, it is possible to utilize the male bracket plate 20 with a type of leg such as the leg 30 having a square cross-section. It should also be noted that in the particular male bracket plate 20 as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the angle between the flanges 21, 22, and the bight-plate 25 is 7, but this angle may be varied widely from practically zero to any esired number of degrees as a matter of designers choice depending upon the desired inclination of the table legs. Furthermore, the various legs may be attached to the male bracket plate 20 by welding, if made of steel tubing, or by any other suitable conventional means.

The interfittting bracket plates 2 and 20 can be manufactured very economically at a high production rate and can be held to rather high tolerances without any difficulty. Consequently, table tops and table legs which are fitted with such joint-forming elements can be assembled easily, quickly, and without special tools or skills. Finally, the joint-forming elements of the present invention achieve a very flat unobstructive joint which has an exceptionally low silhouette and, therefore, do not visibly interfere with the clean sparse lines of modern design.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the forms, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the means and method of ataching legs to tables may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A table comprising a top having a downwardly facing undersurface, a plurality of substantially flat female joint forming members secured to said undersurface, each said female member having at least two struck-out retaining members thereon, each said retaining member having a leg portion extending downwardly from said flat member and a flange portion extending horizontally from the distal end of said leg portion, one of said retaining members located on one side of said flat member, the other of said retaining members located on an opposite side of said flat member, the longitudinal axes of said leg portions located along converging lines, a plurality of legs, each leg having a male joint forming member at one end thereof, said male member comprising a bight plate secured to said one end, said bight plate having triangularly shaped legs extending upwardly on opposite sides thereof, a horizontally extending flange member extending outwardly from the distal end of each of said triangularly shaped legs, the distal ends of said later flange members located along converging lines, one of said male joint members being inserted along a horizontal path into each of said female joint members until the inwardly converging distal ends of said latter flange members firmly abut against the legs of said struckout retaining members.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the bight plate lies in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated leg.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said bight plate and said female joint member are provided with openings, a fastener passing therethrough and penetrating said table undersurfaee to secure said male joint forming member and its associated leg tosaid table undersurface.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said bight plate and said female joint member are provided with openings, a fastener passing therethrough and penetrating said table undersurface to secure said male joint forming member and its associated leg to said table undersurface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,520,810 8/1950 Ohlsson 108-156 2,723,892 11/1955 Hirsch 108-156 2,762,671 9/1956 Hirsch 108-56 2,859,804 11/1958 Healy 248-189 2,869,950 1/1959 Boccone 287-20 2,882,110 4/1959 Mutchnik 287-20 3,134,566 5/1964 Beene 287-20 X FOREIGN PATENTS 857,639 1/1961 Great Britain.

75,927 11/1959 Norway.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

I. T. MCCALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TABLE COMPRISING A TOP HAVING A DOWNWARDLY FACING UNDERSURFACE, A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FEMALE JOINT FORMING MEMBERS SECURED TO SAID UNDERSURFACE EACH SAID FEMALE MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST TWO STRUCK-OUT RETAINING MEMBERS THEREON, EACH SAID RETAINING MEMBER HAVING A LEG PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FLAT MEMBER AND A FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FROM THE DISTAL END OF SAID LEG PORTION, ONE OF SAID RETAINING MEMBERS LOCATED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID FLAT MEMBER, THE OTHER OF SAID RETAINING MEMBERS LOCATED ON AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID FLAT MEMBER, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID LEG PORTIONS LOCATED ALONG CONVERGING LINES, A PLURALITY OF LEGS, EACH LEG HAVING A MALE JOINT FORMING MEMBER AT ONE END THEREOF, SAID MALE MEMBER COMPRISING A BIGHT PLATE SECURED TO SAID ONE END, SAID BIGHT PLATE HAVING TRIANGULARLY SHAPED LEGS EXTENDING UPWARDLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING FLANGE MEMBER EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE DISTAL END OF EACH OF SAID TRIANGULARLY SHAPED LEGS, THE DISTAL ENDS OF SAID LATER FLANGE MEMBERS LOCATED ALONG CONVERGING LINES, ONE OF SAID MALE JOINT MEMBERS BEING INSERTED ALONG A HORIZONTAL PATH INTO EACH OF SAID FEMALE JOINT MEMBER UNTIL THE INWARDLY CONVERGING DISTAL ENDS OF SAID LATTER FLANGE MEMBERS FIRMLY ABUT AGAINST THE LEGS OF SAID STRUCKOUT RETAINING MEMBERS. 